Avengers Uprising
by Come to the Well
Summary: Tony, Natasha, Clint and Steve are sent off to find out the cause of a strange message S.H.I.E.L.D has been getting. But what they discover will shock them, and raise questions that will decide the fate of the Earth and the Grid. Takes place during Uprising. Might be some swearing.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, so this is a major plot-bunny that has been haunting me for months. What if the Avengers got caught up in the Uprising? And what if Beck and Tron met with them, and were forced to work together? Lots of interesting twists and turns went on in my head. So this came up. Most likely this will be updated once or twice a month, maybe more depending on how I feel. And yes, this takes place during the beginning of Uprising. Bruce and Thor might be included later on.  
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**Chapter 1**

Dust swirled around the blades of the ship as it descended to the ground. Flying the craft was Clint, while lounging around on the seats were Natasha, Steve and Tony. None of them were sure why they had to make run to San Fransisco in the middle of the night, let alone to some abandoned looking arcade.

For all they knew some kid had run into the arcade and was now trapped behind the locked door. Either way, it wasn't a fun ride.

"Does anyone even know why we're here?" Steve asked when they stepped out of the craft.

"According to Director Fury he's been getting strange messages in the hellicarrier," Clint explained as he dragged out his bows.

"Did he say what the message was?" Natasha raised an eyebrow when Tony grabbed the case that held his suit.

"Not entirely sure, but I think this was the message." Tony pulled out his phone that he was normally fumbling with. Natasha's eyes widened when two words stretched across the screen.

_Tron Lives_ glowed a bright shade of white.

"_Tron_, as in the video game _Tron_?" Clint held back a fit of laughter.

"That's why we're here," Tony said with a grin.

Natasha rolled her eyes as Clint pushed open the door. Fortunately there was no child trapped inside the arcade like they had feared. Instead the team noticed how dusty the arcade was. All of the games were covered in plastic.

Tony flipped the switches that were near the door and grinned like an idiot when the lights flashed on.

"So which game should we play first?" he asked after Steve pulled off the covers.

"We're not here to play games," Natasha muttered with a roll of her eyes.

It was than she spotted something at the corner of her eye. The bright blue and orange lights seemed to flash as she leaned against one of the video games. Whoever owned this arcade must have really liked _Tron_. Or they were just slightly crazy.

"Hey guys, you know who owned this place, don't ya?" Tony was fumbling through his phone again after getting past the _Tron Lives_ screen. All of them exchanged the same curious expressions. "Some genius named Kevin Flynn owned this place, along with Encom." Clint's eyes widened in disbelief, while Steve simply shrugged in confusion. He didn't know who Flynn was, much less care. "He disappeared just as he was about to reveal something big," Tony explained after looking back at his phone.

"Well guess it's time to find out what he was about to reveal," Clint told them.

"Hey guys, check this out." Natasha leaned down to examine the floor where the _Tron_ video game stood on. Tony, Steve and Clint followed her to see what she was looking at.

Sure enough there were grooves in the floor, as if something heavy had been dragged across it. But what was really strange about it was the fact that the grooves began where the game was standing on. There was definitely more to this game than Natasha first realized.

"There might be something behind this," Steve said as he knocked on the wall. It sounded hollow inside, which was even more surprising.

The three men pushed the game forward after realizing that Steve was right. Natasha moved to the side to avoid getting crushed, and her eyes widened.

Behind the game was a hidden stairway. Tony let out a whistle before heading towards the stairs. Clint grabbed him by the arm and glared.

"We don't know what could be down there," he warned.

"There's only one way to find out," Tony replied with a wide, child-like grin.

Steve let out a sigh of frustration as he followed Tony down the stairs. Natasha followed soon after, but Clint remained. Alarms were buzzing in his mind as he looked into the darkness. But after a few minutes he realized he didn't have much of a choice. It was this or be called a coward, and he was certainly no coward.

After a few minutes passed they finally reached a surprisingly large room. Tony's eyes widened in amazement when he saw the equipment scattered around the room. A flat panel lay stretched under the basement's window. Behind the panel was what looked like a camera or laser.

"Don't touch anything," Natasha muttered under her breath. She knew Tony wasn't going to listen. This was like candy land to him. New toys for a computer-savi man.

Tony sat down in a comfortable seat and began punching in numbers on the panel. Steve stood behind him while Natasha and Clint stood on either side. Suddenly the machine behind them made a whirling noise after Tony typed in 'yes'. Clint was about to reach for an arrow when an alarm sounded.

"What was that?" Steve demanded. But none of them had a chance to respond.

Seconds later and the machine was activated. Natasha whirled around just in time to see the laser flash. In the blink of an eye the world went black, and the team vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Okay, so I sort of have three chapters typed up already, so I decided to get this posted. I know there are likely plenty of mistakes and thoughts I left out, but this is more of an experimental story anyways. Thanks to CMR Rosa and Sunofaia for reviewing! Definitely appreciated :)**

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Chapter 2_

Natasha's eyes slowly opened when she felt someone shaking her arm. Instinctively she pushed the hand away. But when it shook her arm again, she retaliated by whipping around to see who was trying to attack her.

Surprise flared within the spy when she realized it was Clint. Seconds later the surprise was replaced with embarrassment, but she dared not show it.

Tony was still passed out - he was leaning against the panel in a pool of drool. Natasha rolled her eyes when she realized that he had fallen asleep. But her annoyance was replaced by curiosity when she saw that the panel wasn't clear.

"Does anyone else know where we are?" she demanded after Steve managed to shake Tony awake.

"Where'd the laser go?" Tony asked after yawning and stretching out his arms. He was still holding on to the Iron Man case, which fortunately didn't appear damaged by what ever attacked them.

Steve creaked the door open after pushing Clint aside. Noises sounded from outside the room, noises that sounded like a racetrack. Natasha raised an eyebrow when Steve stumbled backward, nearly knocking Clint down in the process.

"Guys, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore," he announced. Tony let out a chuckle while Clint glared at him. "It's a classic," he added.

Natasha followed the others out of the room, eager to get away from the cramped space.

What awaited them when they got outside sent waves of shock through the team. Natasha could see nothing but darkness when she looked up. Streaks of lightning seemed to crisscross against blackness, while rain poured from a cloudless shadow.

"Where the hell are we?" Clint demanded after recovering from the shock.

Steve was taking deep breaths as he struggled to cope with the sudden culture shock. This was worse than waking from an icicle after a hundred years. Tony grinned like a kid in a candy store when he saw what lay before them.

Buildings stretched around them, and within the buildings were neon-like lights that glowed against the darkness. The sounds of an engine running had come from what looked like a street to the right of Natasha.

She tried taking in everything at once as what looked like a motorcycle surged past them. Riding the motorcycle was something that she didn't expect to see.

What looked like a human with a black biker's suit and patches of light drove the motorcycle forward. Natasha got a glimpse of what looked like a disk on the humanoid's back. The humanoid was hiding their face with a mask when they swerved past the stunned team.

"Okay, this place is like a computer whiz's paradise," Tony announced as he began walking towards one of the buildings.

"Wait, we don't even know where we are, or whether this place is dangerous," Steve said cautiously. He tried stopping Tony, but Tony kept moving forward.

Natasha sighed in frustration and followed them as Tony led the way. Clint followed soon after, pulling at his arrows as if expecting an enemy to leap out at any heartbeat. Well, maybe in a place like this that _could_ happen. But Natasha had a feeling the real danger wasn't going to leap out.

She stopped when they reached a taller building with screens stretched out across. On the lower level of the building were colorful words that sent thrills of fear down her spine.

"Guys, are you seeing this?" she asked after pulling Clint to a halt.

All three men world around to see what she was pointing at. Tony's jaw dropped while Steve shook his head. Clint merely looked stunned as he studied the words.

_Tron Lives_ was etched along the building's lower level, in colorful, bright pixels.

Natasha tensed when a few black-suited men ran down the streets with staffs in hand. Clint stiffened beside her while Steve and Tony stood nearby. The humanoids were shouting something in strange voices while pointing in the team's direction.

"Get them!" Natasha's eyes widened when she realized they were after the team. Clint immediately reached for an arrow and aimed it towards the gathering crowd.

The humanoids let out panicked cries when he fired. Seconds later an smoke filled the air, giving the team enough time to escape before they were caught.

Panic wasn't something Natasha enjoyed. But in a world she knew little about, it was becoming obvious that she could panic. The humanoids were chasing after them, but once Tony managed to activate the Iron Man suit he could fly off. Natasha and Clint managed to outrun the motorcycles, and Steve easily kept up with them.

It didn't take them long to reach what looked like the outskirts of the area. A few more humanoids were wandering around, either chatting or giving the team strange looks. Most of them were without masks, and Natasha could plainly see that they really _were_ human-like creatures.

"That was fun," Tony said when he landed beside them. His suit changed back into the case after Natasha heard the click of a button. The humanoids that were watching them let out startled yelps before running away. All except for one.

Natasha's lips twitched in amusement when she realized the humanoid was hiding their face. They were wearing a hooded cloak that hid them from prying eyes.

"Thank you," the humanoid said in that strange garbled voice.

"Um, what for?" Steve asked warily.

"You stopped those guards with a smoke grenade, I'm guessing," the humanoid explained with a shrug. "I was the one they were after... I left that message on the building."

"What exactly are you?" Natasha demanded after her patience grew thin. She wanted to know where they were, and more importantly how they could get back to HQ and tell Fury what they had discovered.

"Erm, I'm a program," the humanoid replied awkwardly. Tony's eyes widened in disbelief when the 'program' lifted their veil and mask.

The female program was dressed in a black suit, but white and purple circuits glowed around her arms, legs and torso. She had lengthy brown hair that reached down to her shoulders, and dark brown eyes that seemed to burn right through Natasha as she observed the four strangers.

"Am I... the only one weirded out by this?" Clint asked.

"Nah, I think she's cute," Tony said with a smirk, which resulted in getting slapped in the face by Natasha. The program laughed at their exchange and shifted from boot to boot as she studied them.

"My name's Rez by the way," she announced after another awkward silence followed.

"Rez, I like it," Tony said with another smirk. This time Natasha didn't punch him, but that was mostly because she knew he would keep flirting until he was punched by the program.

"Can you tell us where we are exactly?" Natasha managed to ask after finding her voice.

"You're in Tron City," Rez replied in a 'you-should-know-this' tone. Her eyes widened when Natasha glared coldly. "Oh... you're on the Grid!" she added after realizing what Natasha had meant.

The four of them exchanged wary looks before Tony's grin grew wide again. He had always dreamed of a place like this, where programs were alive and functioned like normal humans. Of course that damn Flynn would've thought of it before him.

Natasha simply sighed in frustration as she realized the full extent of their situation. What ever this Grid was, it wasn't San Fransisco. And it certainly wasn't going to get them to HQ in time.

"Is there any way to get out of the Grid?" she asked.

"You'll have to get through the Portal for that," Rez replied. "It was open for a few millicycles, but closed shortly after. I'm guessing that you're the reason it opened." She was spitting out strange words that meant nothing to Natasha, except for the millicycles bit.

_I'm going to assume that is there measure of time_, she decided.

"So now what, we're stuck here with no way out," Steve muttered while pacing around.

"If you want help I'd recommend going to Argon City," Rez suddenly told them. Natasha raised an eyebrow before Rez showed them what looked like a map. "I've been following what's going on there, and it seems that a renegade program is causing trouble there. If you find him, he'll help."

"Thanks," Natasha muttered warily. She wasn't sure whether they should trust this program or not. But it couldn't hurt them to find out who the renegade was. Maybe he was the reason S.H.I.E.L.D kept getting those messages on their screens.

Rez nodded and handed Tony the map. Before he could thank her she took out a tool of some kind. Natasha's eyes widened when an image of the motorcycle she had seen earlier appeared, and seconds later turned into the real deal. But as quickly as Rez had revealed her motorcycle she swerved back towards the team and pulled on the breaks.

"Before you go you might need these," she said before tossing them tools with a similar appearance. "Just push the button on top and the baton'll do the rest," she explained before speeding off.

Natasha studied the 'baton' carefully before clicking the button Rez had mentioned. To her surprise the baton dropped out of her hand and turned into a motorcycle, like the one Rez had sped off on. Natasha exchanged a worried look with Clint before getting on. It really _did_ work just like a motorcycle, only it's design was sleeker and looked faster.

Something told Natasha that this was only the beginning of a bigger situation. Rez had looked worried when she mentioned the guards, and Natasha guessed that they were targets as well. It was only a matter of time before trouble caught up with the team.

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**AN: I figure Natasha and Clint likely received cycle training in their past, so that's how they already know how to drive. And yeah, from here on the story will hopefully get better.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here's chapter three! Sorry for the shortness, but I figured it would get posted early since I was in the mood. Anyways, thanks everyone for your reviews! They're greatly appreciated :)**

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Chapter 3

The three of them made their way across what appeared to be a highway. After Tony proclaimed that he would find Jarvis eventually, he flew off ahead of them. Natasha restrained a roll of her eyes as she fell in beside Clint.

They were lucky they could keep in contact with each other. Contacting Fury on the other hand, she wasn't sure how they would pull that off.

Clint tried using his communication arrow, but failed as static replaced the tiny screen. It seemed the Grid didn't want any contact with the outside world.

Natasha was getting tired of cruising along a barren landscape as she followed Steve. He was accustomed to motorcycles and knew how to drive them well. So he could keep an eye on Tony while leading the way.

"You okay?" Clint eyed her curiously as Natasha kept her eyes on the road.

"It just... doesn't seem real," she admitted. "All of _this_ existing..."

Clint nodded in agreement at her response.

Silence followed as they continued moving towards another city that loomed in the distance. Wariness crept over Natasha as she studied the glowing lights. She wondered for a moment if this was Argon City, or just another trap.

Steve had slowed down as Tony joined them on the ground.

"We've got a problem," Tony announced when Clint and Natasha pulled to a stop.

"What's wrong?" Natasha demanded.

"Guards, lots of 'em."

Before any of them could ask what he meant by that, something flew past them. Clint reached for an arrow when the object landed nearby. It looked like a spacecraft of some kind, but Natasha guessed it was more advanced. Red circuits streaked across the craft's design, and they seemed to glow with hostility.

Natasha tensed when the guards poured out of a door that fell open. Tony aimed his blasters in their direction, but one of the guards had thrown a blunt object in his direction. Natasha's eyes widened in alarm when the object flew into Tony's hands, leaving a nasty looking dent in the metal.

"What in the name of God was _that_?" Clint demanded when he grabbed an arrow.

"These programs have no identity disks," one of the guards stated after pushing a stunned Steve to the side.

Natasha was ready to fight back, to protect her teammates as they were overwhelmed by the sheer number of guards. More crafts were flying in at the second as she struggled to keep her team safe.

"Can someone please tell me what identity disks are?" Steve demanded when he was pushed towards the craft.

One of the guards grinned widely at Steve before pushing him into the craft. Clearly they enjoyed torturing their captives before giving them a real punishment. Natasha restrained a sigh as she threw a fist into a guard's face. The mask cracked, causing the guard wearing it to shout in surprise.

Amusement quickly washed over Natasha as she dealt a blow in one of the guard's chest with her leg. She was used to fighting, her training ensured that she was ready for it. What she wasn't prepared for caught her by complete surprise.

A guard had thrown a staff in her direction, pushing it into her stomach. Natasha gasped in pain when a surge of energy coursed through her body. Instinctively she grabbed the staff and felt another jolt of energy, but this time it was strong enough to knock her unconscious. The last thing she saw before blacking out were the guards carrying her to the craft.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Hooza for a fast update! I love this story and idea so much that I can't let it go. So it's a fast update. Anyways thanks to OptimusPrimeAddict for reviewing!**

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Chapter 4_

Natasha's eyes slowly opened when she heard the distant sounds of an engine roaring. She gasped when she realized that she was confined on the spot by handcuffs on both her wrists and feet. Standing beside her in the same predicament were Steve and Clint.

"Where are we?" she demanded when she failed to free herself.

"You're headed to the games." Natasha's blood ran cold when a program spoke up. She turned to see a badly injured program glaring at her coldly. Half of his face appeared torn apart, but that wasn't what had turned her blood cold. It was the way he glared at her that made her uneasy. "_User_," the program hissed in a garbled voice.

She rolled her eyes and was about to snap something when the ship they were in suddenly careened downward. Her stomach dropped at the sudden change in pressure.

Steve and Clint were just coming to when the ship stopped moving. Natasha assumed that they had landed as the door swung open. Bright neon lights glared at them as soldiers stormed into the ship. The leader of the soldiers had a mask over his face, but every program on the ship tensed up.

"Take all of these useless programs to the games," the soldier ordered after observing each program close up. He had given the three Users an especially long look, as if he wasn't sure what to make of them. The soldiers around him exchanged wary looks before accepting his word.

Anger suddenly coursed through Natasha as she punched one of the soldiers in the face. Before she could make another strike the soldier managed to get a handcuff around her wrists. That wasn't enough to stop her from using her legs in an offensive standoff. The masked soldier watched with keen interest as it took three soldiers to hold both herself and Clint down.

"You're going to give the crowd quite the show," the masked soldier crowed when he approached the pair. "Take these User scums away."

With those final words the soldiers managed to pry the three onto a platform. Natasha glowered at the soldiers before the platform suddenly moved down like an elevator shaft. She flinched when the platform stopped as suddenly as it had fallen.

Natasha looked around warily to see that she had been sent into a different room. She was alone in a strange place, but that was no surprise. What did surprise her were the three women that walked onto the floor. As soon as their boots hit the floor the lights flickered on, and Natasha's arms tensed.

"Relax User," a woman with strange pixie-cut brown hair murmured. The last few minutes went by like a blur as her clothes were taken off, only to be replaced by the same suit Rez had been wearing. Once the suit appeared the four women went back to their stations. Natasha had closed her eyes when her clothes were taken off, but now she looked around curiously. They were each holding up strange patterns that were placed around her shoulders, waste and legs.

Strangely enough the patterns had circuitry colors like the four women. Natasha looked down to see that her circuit colors were white and purple. She sighed irritably - red was really her color, but this was better than nothing.

Natasha raised an eyebrow when a platform rose up from the floor. One of the four women walked over to the platform and picked up a circular, disk-like object. Natasha remembered seeing the soldiers using the object - but this one was different. It was black and had no heat radiating from the blades.

"Attention program," a voice that came from nowhere announced, "You will be receiving an Identity Disk. Everything you do or see will be recorded on your Identity Disk. If you fail to cooperate with your Identity Disk, or lose it, you will receive immediate deresolution as punishment."

Images flashed through Natasha's mind as the disk was placed on her back. She felt a surge of energy course through her as she remembered leaving the room and meeting Rez. Everything from the world she had come from was a blur.

"Your disk is ready for use, you may now proceed to the games," a female with longer brown hair told her.

"Games? What games?" Natasha asked warily. If they were anything like the training she had received back at S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, she doubted it was fun. The four women stepped back to where they belonged, and Natasha was left to stare at the hall that stretched before her.

She let out another sigh and walked along the hall. She wasn't looking forward to what lay before her.

Surprise flared within Natasha when the hall led her into a wide open platform. Standing around the platform were five other programs. Her eyes widened with relief when she spotted Clint and Steve standing among them.

Then she laughed when she saw their suits. Steve's suit was black with white and blue circuits. Clint's was white and green, but the pattern on his chest resembled that of a hawk.

The programs standing around them looked uncomfortable. A spiky haired program shifted from boot to boot when he backed away warily. Beside him was a darker skinned program, who was taller than him.

"Does anyone want to explain where we are?" she asked after joining them.

"You mean you don't know?" The spiky haired program looked at her in surprise, and Natasha placed her hands on her hips in annoyance. Before he could say anything else, a voice boomed from above. Natasha had barely noticed the crowd around them cheering loudly.

"In the name of our great leader Clu, let the games begin!" Natasha felt her blood pulsing as the crowd roared in excitement. Just as she was about to ask what was going on, a platform with several programs standing on top moved towards them.

"What do we do?" Clint demanded. The programs around them had grabbed their disks, and Natasha noticed that their lights had begun to whir.

"Stay alive," the darker skinned program replied.

Natasha rolled her eyes in annoyance as the group of programs performed a set of fancy dance moves. She could easily kick their butts without using her disk. There was no need to be alarmed, at least not now.

"Still think we'll survive this?" a program with short brown hair asked.

"Just stay close to me Rilo," the spiky-haired program snapped.

The programs had jumped onto other platforms, and Natasha faced her first opponent. She swung her leg into their chest, knocking the breath out of their lungs. The program managed to block her next attack, but she managed to pin him down with ease. The next pair of programs ended similarly.

She jumped back onto the platform where the spiky haired program and his friend had been fighting. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw a pile of pixels near the edge.

"I couldn't save Rilo," the program sighed.

"But we're still in the game!" The darker skinned program had jumped down too. He managed to push off another program that had tried punching him in the face.

Natasha was about to say something when Clint and Steve quickly joined them. An alarm had suddenly buzzed around them, and all programs went silent.

"Due to technical difficulties, this round has ended early," a voice sounded from the booth above the platforms. The crowd had begun booing and shouting insults at the remaining programs and Users. Natasha looked around warily to see the guards were pouring into the stadium.

"Get moving," one guard said after pushing the spiky haired program forward.

Irritation crawled through Natasha as she and her teammates were led to a holding cell. The other two programs were placed in a cell behind them. But Natasha found that she could hear everything the programs were saying, and they could hear what the Users were discussing.

"You're not from around here are you?" the spiky haired program asked when Natasha sat back.

"We're not programs," Clint replied in a scathing tone.

"I wouldn't say that to too many programs," the darker skinned program muttered. "Users aren't exactly welcomed on the Grid."

"Do you have names?" Steve asked, trying to sway the subject away from their origins.

"The name's Beck," the spiky haired program replied.

"Mine's Cutler," the darker skinned program said with a shrug.

"So what are you doing here?" Beck asked warily.

"We were ambushed on our way to Argon City," Natasha explained. "I don't really remember what happened after that." She scowled as she thought of how the soldier had knocked her out. "We still haven't figured out what happened to Tony," she added to her teammates.

Clint raised an eyebrow and smirked. She already knew what he was thinking - knowing Tony he likely found an attractive female program to 'spend some time with'.

"I was headed for Argon to find the renegade," Cutler sighed as he leaned against the wall. Natasha raised an eyebrow when he mentioned the 'renegade'. Rez had mentioned this mysterious program as well. She wanted to know who the renegade was and why he was so important.

"Aren't we here because of the renegade?" Beck asked.

"I don't think so," Cutler replied. "If he's willing to risk his life to free the Grid from Clu, than I want to be right there beside him. Besides, I know who the renegade _really_ is."

"Who?" Beck demanded. Natasha looked back in surprise when she saw the surprise in his eyes. It looked like Beck was hiding a secret, and she knew just how to pry the secret right out of him.

"He's Tron."

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**AN: Cliffhanger! Wonder what the team will think of Tron, since he's... you know, a video game character :P And what did happen to Tony? All of these questions will be answered later on.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Wait, isn't Tron a fictional character?" Natasha raised an eyebrow as she tried to picture Tron as a living being. She knew of avid Sci-Fie fans who truly believed that Tron was real. Maybe these two were just another pair of crazy fans.

They never had a chance to respond. Natasha was thrown out of her trance when she saw soldiers approaching the cells. Her fists clenched when the soldiers unlocked the door and pushed them out. Steve fell in behind Clint while Natasha followed them. Beck and Cutler were close behind them as they were led into a wider room that appeared to have construction work around it.

"Keep moving program." One of the soldiers pressed Cutler in the back with a staff, pushing him forward.

Natasha was about to glare when she realized that it could lead to her doom. These soldiers were clearly on edge, and any wrong move could mean death.

"Tell the program in front of you that Tron lives," Beck suddenly whispered when they were halfway across the room.

She glanced at him skeptically before whispering the words to Clint. Clint looked at her in surprise before passing the words. Eventually the last program suddenly stopped and looked at his partner in surprise.

"Tron lives? Who told you that?" he demanded.

"What was that? Who said that? Who said Tron lives?" The soldiers had tensed up and threw several programs out of line. Their distraction was enough for the five of them to escape, much to Natasha's relief. She was surprised when Beck led them towards a lift that was hauling pipes.

"You got this?" she asked when Beck placed a strange device onto the control. She was surprised when a patch of codes appeared. It took Beck no time to get the lift started.

"I'm a mechanic," he explained after jumping onto the pipes. Natasha grinned as she followed him. Once her teammates were on the move it didn't take them long to reach the top of the coliseum.

"So what do you do?" Steve asked after the tension between the five of them began rising. He was looking at Cutler, who was focused on the path ahead of them.

"I was programed for aerodynamics," he explained.

Natasha looked at him in surprise. He seemed more fit for the army than more than anything else. Then again Beck didn't look like much of a mechanic. Besides, it seemed like things worked differently on the Grid. From what she had seen just about anyone could be programed for something.

"You'd better go." Beck's voice was filled with alarm, and before any of them could reply, a group of soldiers flew down using wings that seemed to work like parachutes. "Go now, we'll keep them distracted!" he shouted before grabbing his disk.

Natasha was about to argue that they could handle this just as easily, when she realized that Beck was giving them a chance to escape. She glanced at Clint and Steve before making a run for it.

She looked over her shoulder just in time to see that Beck and Cutler were surrounded by five guards and a female program. Her eyes widened in surprise as she wondered how a small, frail looking program could put up such a fight against the pair. But she wasn't going to stick around to find out.

She was thankful the four women did not take away the baton she was given. It seemed Clint and Steve had the same idea as they both rezzed their motorcycles. Natasha sighed in relief as she sped after them until they came charging down the building.

In the distance she could hear programs cheering, and the sounds of engines roaring. She guessed that the next round had started, and silently she hoped that Beck and Cutler survived their rounds.

_They gave their lives to keep us safe_, she thought as she followed her team.

"So what do we do now?" Natasha asked as she fell in beside Clint.

"I'd like to get my bows back," he muttered crossly. Natasha rolled her eyes and looked at Steve.

"I guess... we should find out if Tron is real," he replied. "It sounds like he's the leader of this place, so maybe he'll know what to do."

"Then what? We need to find Stark before anything else happens," Natasha said warily.

They went on in silence until they reached what Natasha guessed was the inner part of a city. Natasha had forgotten that the program that announced their arrival at the coliseum had said they were in Argon. That was the city Rez had mentioned they would need to reach.

Natasha sighed as she looked on ahead. One way or another, they would have to find Tron if he really _was_ real. And if he wasn't, than they were screwed.

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**AN: So yeah, not much going on, and not much was really explained. But I will further explain what's going on with Tony in later chapters and whether or not the team finds out who Beck really is :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Finally updated, thanks Sunofaia for reviewing!**

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Chapter 6

The team ended up getting lost several times before giving up entirely. Natasha sighed in frustration when they reached an old looking building. The windows had been shattered into pixels, and broken patches of light could be made near the top of the building.

"We should rest up before we keep going," Clint muttered after turning his bike back into a baton.

"We're all tired, but we need to find out where Stark went, and find out if Tron is real," Natasha said. She leaned against the old building and wondered what it had gone through to end up in such a state.

"I'm more worried about what happened to those two programs," Steve murmured. He was looking back at the building they had fled from. Natasha couldn't help but agree with him. "They gave themselves up so that we could get away."

Natasha had thought back to what Cutler had said about Tron. It sounded like if Tron were real, he would have been the hero to stop what ever was happening now. But with no program helping the others, the Grid was left in turmoil.

She was about to say something else when she saw a couple of programs running towards them. Clint grabbed his disk by instinct as a greenish-blue haired program stopped in surprise. A skinnier program with short brown hair stared at the three in shock.

"What do _you _want?" Clint demanded as he eyed the pair suspiciously.

"We're really sorry," the female program gasped as she caught her breath. "But we're in a hurry and if we don't get that light cycle back..." She paused when she stared at the three of them. "Wait, you're not part of that gang, are you?"

"What gang?" Natasha asked.

"Someone stole an Encom 786 light cycle from Able's garage!" the male program explained in a rushed voice. "Able's gonna kill me if I don't get it back!"

"Do you know where they went?" Steve looked like he was ready to join in the fight. Natasha rolled her eyes when she remembered how he had been bullied before he became Captain America. He knew what it was like to be picked on and treated poorly.

"They went this way," the female program said. She pointed towards what looked like a dump that was behind the team. Natasha turned slightly to see that programs were circling the dump warily.

It didn't take long for the team to decide these programs needed help. Natasha was thankful to get away from the creaking old building. For some reason it gave her chills when she looked up at it. Together all five of them made a run for the dump.

"My name's Mara by the way," the female program said as they ran.

"Name's Zed," the male program added when he managed to catch up.

Natasha went on introducing herself and the rest of her team. Mara's eyebrow raised when she noticed the hawk symbol on Clint's chest. Natasha didn't bother explaining why it was there, or why Steve's chest had a shield symbol on it.

It seemed like their suits had changed circuits depending on what field they were trained in. Natasha had noticed as she was running that her suit had what appeared to be a spider in a pixel-like image.

They stopped running when they reached the heap of garbage. Natasha's eyes narrowed in disgust when she saw several programs gathered around a fire pit. Some were on their cycles, while others were holding batons to what Natasha guessed was their leader.

"This is all you got me?" the program said in a voice full of annoyance.

"It's an Encom 786, it's kind of a one-of-a-kind." A female program with longer brown hair stood in front of him.

"It's kind of a piece of junk," the taller program muttered. "But since it's worthless..."

He suddenly rezzed the baton into a cycle. Natasha stared in disbelief when she realized that it had a sleeker, bulkier design compared to their cycles. It was all white, with a few stains and black seating. In all it was impressive looking, and some idiot was driving it into a pile of boxes.

"It's official, Able's going to kill me," Zed groaned while burying his face in his hands. "Got any ideas?" He looked back at the team.

Clint was glaring at the group of programs, but Natasha noticed that something was off. A few of the programs that had been down there seconds ago were gone.

"They have us outnumbered, but it we catch them by surprise-" Mara was cut off by the sound of a whirring disk.

Natasha whirled around just in time to see the long-haired female program looking down at them.

"Surprise!" she shouted.

Before Zed and Mara could respond, they were kicked down the pile of rubble by a pair of programs. Natasha fought back by throwing a fist into a program's face, receiving a vengeful glare. Steve and Clint managed to fight keep their attackers back.

But it was obvious they were outnumbered. Natasha gasped when she slipped on a piece of rubble. She slid down the pile and landed close to where Zed and Mara had been tossed.

"You led them here?" the leader of the gang demanded when he joined the long-haired female program.

"He's nothing, just an easy mark," the female program scoffed. Natasha's fists clenched when she heard that. The things these programs said... it just made her wish she could punch the living daylights out of them.

"Why'd you do this?" Zed asked after recovering from shock.

"Because it was fun," the female program replied. "Watching you sulk in the club, it made you look..." the program paused as she searched for the right word.

"Weak?" the leader suggested.

"Pathetic," the female finished with a sneer. "Like anyone would go out with a pathetic, useless program like you."

By now Natasha had had it. Without warning she swung a fist into the program's facing, causing every other program to jump back in surprise.

"That's my friend you're talking about!" Mara shouted when she grabbed the 786 baton. "Come on let's go!" she added when she rezzed the cycle.

Natasha and the others followed suit, avoiding holding boxes along the way. She could hear the gang members following as they had recovered from their attack. She grinned when she thought of the broken nose she might have left.

"They're gaining on us!" Mara cried. Natasha looked over her shoulder to see that she was right. The programs were closing in on them as they reached a maze of crates.

"Hang on!" Zed suddenly pulled on the breaks, and Natasha did the same. She blinked in surprise when Zed was leaning against the crates. She noticed a control panel that moved the crane that was lifting the crates up and down. Steve and Clint had stopped when they realized what Zed was up to.

"What are you doing? They'll be on us any minute!" Mara was panicking now as the programs moved in on them.

"Like I said, pathetic," the female program jibed.

"I'm gonna enjoy this," the leader of the gang sneered.

"Not nearly as much as I am," Zed told them. Without warning he tapped on the arrow just as the crane moved towards them. Natasha watched with a slight smirk as the crane was dropped in front of the gang.

Mara let out a laugh when she realized the gang couldn't follow them.

"That was pretty smart," Steve said when they made their way out of the maze.

"We're both mechanics, so we know how these machines work," Zed explained. "Those rogue programs didn't know what hit 'em."

"Thanks for your help by the way," Mara managed to speak after they slowed down. They had reached what Natasha guessed were the streets of the city. "Where are you from? I've never seen you here before."

"Erm..." Clint exchanged a wary look with Natasha. She simply shrugged in response. Even she wasn't sure what to say. "Tron City?" he said the name in the form of a question.

"Wow, that's a long way from Argon City." Zed looked back at the road as they continued weaving in and out of heavy traffic.

"Actually we were headed for Argon City," Natasha suddenly spoke up. She remembered what Rez had told them about meeting the renegade.

"Well you're at the right city," Mara announced with a slight grin.

Relief washed over Natasha when she realized that Mara was telling the truth. She remembered what the program at the coliseum had said. They were in Argon City now, and they could finally meet the renegade and put find a way back to their world.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Managed to type this up in a couple of hours. So enjoy the next chapter :)**

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Chapter 7

Natasha's eyes grew wide when Mara and Zed led them to a large garage. It was where the mechanics worked at. Tony would have had a field day with all the tech inside. Natasha could see motorcycles and strange jets dangling from the ceiling above. To her right was an office with comfortable seating. Beside the office was an area where the programs could take a break.

"Well, this is Able's garage," Zed explained as he turned his cycle into a baton. "This is where most of the programs in the area work."

He threw his baton onto the floor, and it changed back into a cycle in a matter of seconds. Natasha watched with fascination as Mara used protective gear to look at the bike.

"The damage is extensive, I don't even know where to begin!" she sighed.

"Able's going to kill me," Zed muttered with a shake of his head.

"Able? I just saw him." Natasha's eyes widened when she heard a familiar voice. She whirled around to see Beck standing behind them. His expression changed to shock when he realized who Mara and Zed had brought with them. "Go and distract Able, I'll see what I can do about this," he added when he looked back at Zed.

"Thanks Beck," Mara replied as she pulled Zed away.

"What are you doing here?" Beck demanded when he pulled out the tool he'd used on the pipe transport.

"We were led here by your friends," Clint explained as he folded his arms. "More importantly, what are _you_ doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious? This is where I work." Beck sounded annoyed as he sifted through the hologram of codes that had appeared. Natasha had to admit that she was impressed with how quickly Beck could get the thing fixed. "That should do it." He smirked when the cycle suddenly changed appearance.

It had a sleek new design to it, removing the blemishes the rogue programs had given it minutes ago. Beck finished just in time as an older looking program pressed against the glass.

"All tuned up, just like you asked," Beck announced as he showed off the newly furbished cycle.

"Nice work Beck," the program replied. Natasha guessed that this was Able, the program Zed had been so worried about.

"Actually Beck didn't do all of the work," Mara suddenly spoke up. "Zed helped out with most of the work."

Natasha smirked when Zed walked out of the room.

"Right, Beck helped, but I did most of the heavy lifting," he explained sheepishly. Natasha restrained a laugh when Zed managed to push over the cycle. Beck's grin was priceless as he helped Zed up. "Um, I meant to do that!"

Natasha followed her teammates out of the garage before they were noticed by Able. The last thing they needed were more questions rising up on who they were and how they got here. Besides, from what she had seen Beck could handle things pretty well on his own.

Sure enough she was right as he walked out of the garage. His eyes were narrowed when he joined them outside.

"You got away," Steve managed to say.

It was the first time in a few hours that he had said anything. Natasha wondered if he was still in shock from all of this technology overload. It would be overwhelming given the guys' age.

"Of course I did," Beck muttered crossly. "Now why don't you tell me who you really are." He folded his arms and glared at them.

"Is there a place we can talk in private?" Clint suddenly asked. "I get the feeling that we're being watched." He looked over his shoulder nervously, and Natasha noticed that he was right. As usual.

Soldiers were wandering through the city streets with staffs in hand. She knew they would be picked off the streets in heartbeats if the soldiers knew who they were looking for.

Beck looked at them thoughtfully before grabbing a baton. Natasha raised an eyebrow when he rezzed it into a cycle.

"Only if you _promise_ not to freak out," he finally said.

This time Natasha was taken by curiosity. Beck was hiding something - his expression said it all. She was good at getting secrets from others, but in a world like this, she was unsure of her abilities. It was better to follow than lead others blindly.

With a sigh of frustration she and the others nodded in agreement. Beck smirked as they pulled out their own batons. Natasha's hands were trembling as she followed him through the streets, narrowly avoiding getting caught again.

She gasped when Beck led them towards what looked like the desert. Dust swirled around them as a fierce wind picked up. For a moment Natasha wondered if Beck was leading them to their doom. She thought back to how wary she had been when they first met.

_It wouldn't surprise me if that was what happens next_, she thought angrily.

To her surprise Beck remained true to his word as he led them to a strange mountain. It's peak reached for the sky, and the cold winds didn't blast into the rock.

Natasha let out a startled gasp when Beck drove into a wall and disappeared. She glanced over her shoulder to see that Clint and Steve were following. With a sigh of frustration she prayed that she wouldn't slam into the wall.

Thankfully that never happened as she wound up riding along a winding trail. The trail didn't seem to have an end to it, until Beck stopped near the entrance of what looked like a garage door.

"What I'm about to show you is extremely classified," he said as he punched in a code. "If anything should happen that you get caught-" Natasha stopped him with a wave of her hand.

"We won't tell anyone," she replied. Except Fury maybe.

Director Fury would love to hear about this. She couldn't imagine what he would say if they told him that a new world had been discovered. Or re-discovered. Already she had seen what the programs were capable of, and it would worry any human.

The door suddenly swung open, and Natasha raised an eyebrow as Beck walked in. His cycle had disappeared, so she turned hers back into a baton. The others did the same and followed Beck warily into the darkness.

What Natasha and the others saw next surprised them. Staircases that led to different rooms, and a single room that stretched before them came to view. White lights suddenly turned on, brightening the dark room.

And standing in the center of the room was an all more frightening figure. A program dressed in a black suit with red circuits stood before them. Beck seemed un-intimidated as he joined the tall program.

"Who are you?" The program's voice was disguised. Natasha's skin felt cold as she realized that it had come out in a low growl.

"We're not exactly from the area," Clint explained as he reached for his disk.

"I've noticed." The program tilted his head to one side as Clint looked at him in confusion. "You're obviously new here. Any program would have derezzed me in a nanocycle without hesitation, or run."

_What in the world is a nanocycle_? Natasha wondered as Clint's posture refused to relax.

"We just want to know if there's a way back home," Natasha managed to say.

"Actually I'd like to know who this guy is," Steve muttered crossly. "For all we know that mechanic could have led us to a trap."

Beck looked at Steve in surprised before grinning sheepishly. The program had given him a strange look before glancing back at the team.

"What are your names?" Another question. Natasha rolled her eyes before replying.

"Natasha Romanoff," she replied.

"Clint Barton," Clint replied after coughing.

"Steve Rodgers." Steve looked more annoyed than afraid now.

"Users." The program said the word in a startled voice. Natasha raised an eyebrow as he reached for his disk. Beck stared at him in surprise as he typed in a code on his disk. "How a group of Users managed to reach the Grid is beyond me, but it doesn't matter. Keeping you away from Clu matters."

Natasha's eyes widened when the red circuits were replaced with white. An emblem had appeared on the program's chest, one she remembered seeing in the arcade.

Only one program wore that emblem, and the very thought of meeting him in person sent shivers of anxiety through Natasha. It was Tron.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Alright, I'll probably be taking a break from this for a while. Maybe like a two week or month long break, but I'm not sure.**

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Chapter 8

"Wait, wait, wait, so you're telling me that this _TRON_ is real?" Clint asked with a shake of his head. Natasha rolled her eyes as Tron stood back. She noticed that his fists were clenched together. He was clearly frustrated with Clint's reaction, and she was surprised that he managed to avoid starting a fight.

"I am real, as real as the Grid itself," Tron snapped. "Now why don't you tell me how you got here," he suggested when Natasha placed a hand over Clint's shoulder.

"S.H.I.E.L.D received a message on the Hellicarrier about three days ago," she explained. "The message was in bright colors, almost like graffiti. It said, 'Tron Lives'."

Beck raised an eyebrow in surprise, while Tron tilted his head to one side. His face was hidden by a helmet, and Natasha wished she could see what he looked like behind the mask.

"It was a message sent by Clu," Beck concluded after realizing what it meant.

_Again with the Clu thing_, Natasha thought with a sigh of frustration. Who was Clu, and why was he so important? She remembered that voice at the coliseum announcing that the 'games' were in honor of Clu. Maybe Clu was like Loki, and asserted himself as king of the Grid.

"Clu is the current ruler of the Grid," Tron added as if he had read her thoughts. "Flynn disappeared cycles ago, and after that... everything fell apart."

For the first time Natasha noticed how wary the older program was. Beck was still leaning against a table while he took it all in - she guessed that he'd heard this speech before.

"What happened to you?" Steve managed to ask. His expression was difficult to make out. Natasha could see mixed feelings in his face as he studied the two programs. It was a mixture of pity and curiosity. Tron flinched as soon as Steve asked the question.

"Clu took everything from me, everything but my name." His voice came out in what sounded like a growl.

Natasha's eyes widened when the helmet receded. A face full of scars was revealed before them. In a way Tron reminded Natasha of Director Fury. Only he had two eyes instead of one, but half of his face was still covered in scars.

"Doesn't the guy look familiar to you?" Clint asked in a whisper.

It took Natasha a few seconds to realize where Clint was getting at. Her eyes widened once more when she realized who Tron looked like.

"Was your creator by any chance Alan Bradley?" she asked.

Tron raised an eyebrow this time. "Yes, Alan 1 is my creator. Flynn moved me here to protect the system," he explained.

"So you're a security program," Natasha concluded. "That explains a bit."

"What I'd like to know is why Clu wanted Users to show up on the Grid," Steve muttered with a shake of his head. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Actually it does." Beck spoke up for the first time. Natasha looked at him once more and realized that he was shorter than Tron. But he was young and fit for battle. Just the sort of program Clu would go looking for. "Three Users would have given Clu an opportunity he didn't have before. He knows you'll fight to keep them safe." He looked back at Tron, whose expression refused to change.

Tron suddenly shook his head and looked out the panel.

"No, there's another reason," he whispered. "Cycles ago Flynn told me about his son. Clu wanted Sam, not you. It would have drawn out Flynn, and given Clu a chance to escape from the Grid."

"Tron's right," Clint suddenly said.

Natasha groaned in frustration when she realized what it meant. The message Clu sent had been meant for Encom. But somehow the message had been sent to the Hellicarrier instead. On the plus side some kid didn't wind up getting caught or killed.

"Remind me again how we're going to get out of this? And can someone tell me what happened with Tony?" she demanded after placing her hands on her hips.

"There's another User?" Tron's voice was cold as ice.

"Tony Stark," Steve replied. "A um... billionaire genius."

"Stark technologies..." Tron's voice trailed off as he went back to the panel. Natasha blinked in surprise as images appeared on the screen. At once an image of Tony appeared, and another face appeared. This one was surprisingly similar to Tony in appearance, only he was smaller and had more defined features. "A program named Jarvis works for him within the Grid."

"That sounds about right," Natasha said with a nod of agreement. "Wait, so he's from Encom as well?"

"Clu moved him to the Encom system the moment he was discovered," Tron replied.

"He's like a mechanic," Beck added when he saw the bits of work Tony had started. The Iron Man suit came up, and Beck let out an impressed whistle. "Now _that's_ something I could see you in," he said with a sheepish grin.

"Yeah, he's also an important mechanic," Clint sighed. "Fury's gonna kill us if anything happens to him."

"Or he'll congratulate us," Steve laughed.

Natasha rolled her eyes as they continued joking on how often Fury and Stark got into their arguments. Tony was always trying to make those around him seem inferior. She wouldn't be surprised if he'd gotten slugged in the nose by an enemy program.

Tron and Beck seemed oblivious to the fun Clint and Steve were having when they talked about the many times Fury had to call in for backup because of something Tony had caused. And she couldn't forget how livid Pepper had been after their battle with Loki. She nearly lost it when she found out what Tony had done.

"So where do we go from here?" Natasha finally asked after she began feeling the weight of exhaustion.

It felt like they had been awake for days. She was used to constantly running around, but now her muscles ached in places she wasn't even aware of.

"You should get some rest." Tron seemed to notice how exhausted she was. "Beck will meet you at the next cycle for further details." He glanced at Beck, who looked like he was ready to argue.

Instead he closed his mouth and glared.

"And what about a place for us to sleep?" Clint demanded. "I'm not sleeping out there." He looked pointedly at the desert that loomed outside.

"You won't have to sleep in the Outlands," Beck replied. "There are plenty of open spaces for you to sleep in the city. As long as you can get jobs."

Again he grinned, and Natasha shrugged. She could easily adapt, and so could Clint. Steve on the other hand would require some training before he got a job of some kind.

"All right than, we'll see if we can get a job at your garage," she said.

Beck's eyes widened in dismay, and Natasha restrained a laugh. She knew he wasn't looking forward to working with the men, and understandably so. But until they found a way to contact Director Fury and find Tony, they had no other choice. For now this was their best solution.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I kind of... sort of lied about that break? It was about a week or two since my last update XD Anyways, thanks to CMR Rosa, sv4me, and Sunofaia for your reviews!**

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Chapter 9

The team had returned to Able's garage with little hopes of getting a job or a place to stay. Natasha knew that the odds were against them - Steve knew next to nothing about modern technology. Clint was good with the hand tools. Natasha on the other hand was sure that she could learn on the job.

Things were going to be interesting.

Beck stopped them just before they reached an office of sorts. The mechanics inside the garage looked up in surprise when they walked in.

Natasha rolled her eyes as she imagined just how child-like Tony would have been in a place like this. He loved working on tools like these. There were bikes, tanks, even small planes.

Any human with a longing for new and stylized vehicles would want these. Natasha wondered if they would even work in their world.

"Able wants to see you," Beck announced when he finally stepped out of the office.

Beck's expression was grim as he watched the three Users walk into the room. Natasha glanced over her shoulder warily.

_He's worried we'll tell Able_, she decided.

With a slight smile she followed Clint and Steve into the office. An older looking program was sitting in a chair, looking at nothing thoughtfully. Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise when she studied the program's face.

The program looked up at them, and Natasha found herself unable to speak once more.

"You're the programs Beck mentioned." He sounded wary as he looked up. "Now why should I hire the likes of you?"

"Look, we need a place to stay while we're in Argon City," Clint explained when no one else spoke up. He leaned onto the desk and looked Able straight in the eye. "And we need a job."

"There are plenty of apartments you can stay in," Able replied. "I'm sure a couple of fine looking programs like yourselves can find a good job in Tesler's ship."

Natasha stiffened at the mention of working for the program that had held them captive during the games. From what she had heard, Tesler was a ruthless program who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted.

"We're good with tools," Steve insisted. Natasha glanced at him in surprise.

"Alright, let's see just how skilled you are." Able suddenly rose from his seat and met Steve's gaze. "Well come on!" He waved his hand as he led the way out of his office.

Natasha exchanged a look with Clint before following the older program. Able was obvious keen on checking to see just how skilled they really were with fixing things.

Beck was standing around with Mara and Zed when they reached the other room. Natasha eyed his friends calmly when they noticed the team's arrival. Mara whispered something to Zed, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"There are three different types of vehicles here for each of you to work on," Able explained when he finished speaking to a shorter program. The program had dark black, shortly cut hair. He looked at the three newcomers nervously before leaving the room. "I want to see just how skilled you really are. What are your names by the way?" He raised an eyebrow before the three exchanged cautious looks.

"Natasha," Natasha managed to reply.

"Clint."

"Steve." Steve had coughed before replying, looking more nervous than ever as he realized where this was getting at.

"Well then, Natasha, you can work on the light cycle right here." Able tapped the bike she had been calling a motorcycle. "Steve, you can work on the tank to your right." He pointed towards a tank who's canon looked like it had been ripped off. "Clint, you can work on the light jet."

Natasha felt her shoulders sag when she looked down at the light cycle. She wasn't even sure what could be wrong with the darn thing. For all she could tell, the bike looked pretty decent.

She stiffened when she felt a hand brush against her shoulder.

"The break's not working right," she heard Mara explain in a whisper. "Here." Natasha looked down to see an odd looking tool in Mara's hand. The program was smiling sheepishly as she looked over her shoulder. "This will help."

Hesitantly Natasha picked the device up. It was a strange white looking tool with sides that connected to the vehicle or object in question. She nodded to Mara thankfully before leaning down to place the device on the light cycle.

Once the device was in place a set of codes appeared before her. Natasha sighed in frustration when she realized that this was Tony's area of expertise. He would've had these fixed in a heartbeat.

Slowly but surely she pulled apart the code, searching for anything that might look like a break. Able was watching her curiously while he had Beck and Zed watch Steve and Clint. Natasha breathed out a sigh when she found what she was looking for.

She carefully moved what looked like the break to where it was needed. She could almost feel Able's gaze boring into her when she pulled out the device. Once the device was pulled off the light cycle appeared as though nothing had happened.

"Now that wasn't so hard, was it?" Able chuckled when Natasha turned to face him.

"Am I in?" she asked warily.

"Well you can fix light cycles just fine, and we could always use an extra hand... I suppose I'll let you stay," he replied.

Natasha nearly lost it when she realized that he was playing with them. Able's grin turned into a smile when Steve jumped out of the tank. Beck stood back as the canon returned to what Natasha guessed was its normal state.

"You all can stay," Able added when Clint jumped down from the dangling light jet.

Beck took a startled step back when Clint stood beside Steve. Natasha couldn't help but smirk when she saw that little move. If programs thought they could show off, why couldn't Users?

"We can show them the upstairs," Mara suggested when everything was settled. Beck glanced at her warily, but Able simply shook his head.

"Go ahead," he replied.

The two programs - plus an unhappy Beck - led the three Users to their accommodations. Natasha was impressed when they were led into an elevator that moved them to the second floor. It really was just like being at the mall or in the Hellicarrier.

"Well, this is the locker room," Zed explained when they walked through a hall of lockers. Names were printed on the lockers. Natasha recognized Beck's name, and noticed an empty locker with the name 'Bodhi' written across it.

"And this is where we sometimes hang out after work." Mara showed them a lounge room with chairs and sofas scattered around it.

An impressive view of the city could be seen outside a large window. Natasha gazed outside to see the strange ships that had taken them hostage hours ago.

"What are those things?" Steve asked when he noticed them too.

"Recognizers." Beck answered more quickly than Mara and Zed could. He gave the team a look that said 'everything would be explained later'.

"And this is where are apartments are." Mara had stopped when they reached a hall with yet another elevator that only went up.

Natasha eyed the elevator warily and wondered where the stairs were. If there was ever a fire there would be no escape.

"Our rooms are on the upper level," Zed explained when they were led to the elevator.

Throughout the tour Beck had remained strangely silent, aside from mentioning what the recognizers were. Natasha wondered if he regretted leading them to the garage. His expression was hard to make out. He kept glancing at his friends as if he was hoping they would somehow fall calm down.

Mara and Zed had suddenly stopped when they reached the third floor. More hallways seemed to go on forever. But at least these hallways had doors with names written across them.

"This is where we sleep," Mara said when they walked towards the nearest door. It swung open after she touched the door with her hand. Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise when she saw how accommodating the rooms were. It was large and spacious, featuring a bed, table desk, chair, and shelves were odd objects were placed. "This is my room of course, and yours will be the last three doors at the end of the hallway," Mara explained when Beck and Zed remained outside.

_Wow, they've already got empty rooms for us_, Natasha thought.

She wondered just how desperate Able was for new employees. It seemed strange that he straight-up gave them jobs right after their first successful fix. But then Natasha didn't know much about the Grid, or how things worked.

With a shake of her head she followed Clint and Steve as Zed led them to the end of the hall. Sure enough there were three doors with no names etched on them. Natasha glanced at Zed warily as he stepped aside to let Beck through.

"Just remember to be down as soon as you're rested up," Beck muttered when he fixed the doors.

Natasha's eyes widened when she saw her name appear on the door in the middle. She glanced at Beck thankfully before pressing it the way Mara had with hers.

Seconds later and the door opened, revealing a similar spacious room, minus the lack of objects Mara had. Natasha sighed in relief when she stepped inside. The door had closed as soon as she did, and she eyed the inviting bed nervously.

Without warning she flopped onto the bed and realized just how exhausted she was. It didn't take long for sleep to overwhelm her, and for the first time since reaching the Grid she could finally have a somewhat peaceful sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: To Slightly Crazy Author: Hope this answers your question :) And thanks for reviewing, it's always appreciated! And yet again, another short chapter. But it's better than nothing. Anyways, read on and enjoy :D**

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Chapter 10_

Pain. It was the first thing he had noticed when he was jolted awake by one of those damned staffs.

Programs were flaunting around him while he struggled to free himself. They'd taken off the suit and replaced it with one of their own. Though it wasn't a bad look, Tony preferred having _some_ kind of protection from these creeps.

"The User is quite fascinating," a female program wearing a mask said. Standing around her were others watching a tablet she was holding curiously.

Tony simply scowled at them as he tried to struggle once more.

"The device in his chest is what keeps him alive," another program commented. "We cannot simply remove it."

"You heard the boss," the female snapped. "It doesn't matter whether or not he lives. The suit was what we needed, and now we have it."

"Would someone _please_ tell me where the hell I am?" Tony shouted when he found his voice. He was surprised at how hoarse he sounded. It felt like he had not spoken for days.

The programs all stared at him in shock, as if they didn't expect him to speak.

"You're on General Tesler's thrown ship," the female program explained.

"Okay, who the hell is General Tesler?" Tony was beginning to think this was some crazy nightmare. Like the ones he'd had when he was held captive for so long.

"Sir, General Tesler wishes to speak with you," a program shakily reported when they approached.

The female program sighed in annoyance before shoving the tablet at him. It took Tony a few minutes to realize that the programs were _guarding_ him. Obviously this Tesler character was afraid that someone might rescue him.

"General Tesler is the ruler of Argon City," the program that had grabbed the tablet explained.

Tony sighed in frustration when he realized that this was getting him nowhere. Fighting with these programs wasn't doing him any good either. His best option was to play along and figure out how he could get away.

. . .

The rest of the team wasted no time in returning to the hiding place they had first met Tron. Natasha had already memorized the location and directions Beck had led them previously. Beck was still busy at work with Mara and Zed, giving them a break in the process.

Natasha blinked in surprise when they reached the mountain stronghold. A door had opened up as soon as Clint got off of his bike.

"Guess the greeting committee's on break," Steve joked when they walked in.

"Just remember to be on your guard," she muttered warily. Even if Tron had let them go willingly, she still didn't trust the guy. And she was damned sure that he didn't trust them either.

Natasha wasted no time in following them as Clint led them to the large room where they had met Tron. Sure enough he was waiting for them, as if he had known they would arrive. Natasha rolled her eyes and was suddenly reminded of how punctual Director Fury always was.

"I've managed to find your friend," he announced when the screen he was looking at went blank.

"I wouldn't necessarily call us friends," Steve grumbled. Natasha couldn't help but smirk as she thought of the constant 'old man' jokes Tony used to make. Or when he kept calling Steve the 'Capsicle'.

"He's being held at Tesler's base." Tron went on as if the comment didn't matter. He grabbed what looked like a tablet with words and images scribbled on the screen.

"Then we have to find him," Natasha sighed irritably.

It was just like Tony to get himself into trouble like this. She could only imagine what sort of trap he'd gotten himself into this time.

"With what? We have no weapons aside from our training," Clint pointed out.

"You have your disks." Natasha raised an eyebrow in surprise when Tron reached for the disk on his back. She remembered watching Beck use his during the 'games' at the coliseum. "You won't be going after Tesler unless you know everything about the Grid."

"So it's back to school?" Steve raised an eyebrow in surprise.

_It's better than working at the garage all day_, Natasha thought as she reached for her own disk.

The device reminded her of a frisbee, and it was surprisingly light like one too. Her eyes widened in disbelief when she pressed two buttons on either side, causing the disk to activate and make a whirring noise. She could feel heat radiating from the blade's edge.

Clint and Steve were staring at it in surprise as well. Natasha raised the disk towards her face before throwing it without warning. Tron saw what she was doing before it happened. His fighting skills were just as good, if not better as he jumped into the air and rolled to avoid getting hit.

The disk came soaring back towards her, and she caught it just in time. She restrained a grin when she realized how useful of a weapon these things really were.

"Now this is more like it," she said out loud as Steve and Clint managed to activate theirs. Tron remained strangely silent throughout their lesson as Steve managed to knock Clint aside with his disk. Natasha learned more quickly, and managed to deactivate her disk once she was finished. "Now how do these work?" She grabbed the wand that turned into a light cycle. She knew how to activate the light cycle now, but the energy walls she had seen were a different matter.

Again Tron smirked as he tapped something on the tablet. An image began to appear on the screen that overlooked the Outlands. Natasha studied the screen carefully as she watched how the light cycles worked. The handle barks worked like a regular motorcycle. Just turn the knob on the end and the wall of energy would appear.

"So you just do that," Clint muttered with a nod. Natasha rolled her eyes as she pressed the button at the end of her wand. "And these things are called?" he added when he grabbed his own.

"Batons," Tron replied bluntly. "And in order to blend in with the Grid, you will need to know the terms we 'programs' use."

Natasha sighed when she realized that there was so much more to this class than she had thought. And to make matters worse, they still had a rescue mission to go on shortly after. Either way it was something she wasn't looking forward to.


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Sorry for the long wait, I've been updating my other stories for the longest time. But here's chapter eleven. Not even sure how many chapters there will be, but hopefully it will be a longer story. By the way, has anyone heard the City of Ember soundtrack? Amazing music! I highly recommend it :D**

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Chapter 11

Amusement coursed through Natasha when Tron led them towards what appeared to be a training course. It reminded her of the days of her early training in S.H.I.E.L.D. Beck was sent on a mission to infiltrate some guy's ship. She remembered Tron mentioning the name General Tesler, and felt a shudder run down her spine.

_Whoever General Tesler is_, _he must be one heck of a program_, she thought as she followed the others.

"This course is used for light cycle training; it will test your skills to see just how much training you need," Tron explained when Clint asked what the course was for.

Natasha glanced at Steve and noticed that he was grinning. This was in his element - he'd used a motorcycle during the war. And she had seen how the rest of the team used their light cycles before they were captured for the games. Tron was about to get a taste of his own medicine.

They all wasted no time in rezzing their light cycles as Tron had already taken the lead. In the blink of an eye he was already ahead by miles. Natasha stared in surprise when she realized that he must have done this for years.

With a shake of her head Natasha surged forward and easily kept up with Clint as he took let Steve take the lead. Tron used the terrain to his advantage, swerving over hills or jumping over them when he had the chance.

_Show off_, she thought with a roll of her eyes. She imagined that he was hiding a smirk as he showed off everything he knew.

Without warning a wall of light appeared, cutting Clint and Steve off as they began to race. Steve's eyes widened in alarm when he realized that the wall of light acted like a barrier.

"How do you do that?" Clint shouted when the wall of light disappeared.

Tron pulled to a halt, letting them catch up. Natasha sighed in relief when she reached them.

"Light cycles are easy to control once you understand them," he explained. Natasha watched with interest as he tapped on a button on the light cycle's handle bar. "You have to be moving while using the light wall, otherwise it won't work."

"So like this..." Clint suddenly moved at full speed on his light cycle, pressing the button that Tron had showed them. Natasha smirked when a wall of green light appeared behind his light cycle.

"Are they all different colors?" she asked.

"The colors change depending on your circuits," Tron replied.

Natasha exchanged a surprised look with Steve before shaking her head. This all seemed a bit too confusing, and she was beginning to wonder if they would ever understand the ways of the Grid.

With a flick of her wrist she sped towards Steve as he managed to take the lead. Natasha looked over her shoulder to see that Tron was following them rather than racing alongside them.

_Studying our moves_, she decided.

"Think you can keep up with me?" Steve demanded over his shoulder.

"I think you're the one who's gonna have trouble," Clint replied with a smirk.

Once again Natasha rolled her eyes when the two began duking it out on their light cycles. They were acting like children yet again. Usually Tony was the one who riled them up, and would end up losing in the end.

Tron suddenly flew in between them, using his light wall to keep them apart. Natasha raised an eyebrow in amusement when Clint yelped in surprise.

"Don't get distracted!" the program snapped.

"Damn it!" Clint cursed under his breath when his light cycle was destroyed by the light wall. "Can we have a do over?"

Natasha smirked when she joined them.

"Having fun boys?" she asked as she leaned forward. Tron gave her an icy look, which she returned with a shrug.

"Weird," Steve said when he looked down at the tiny cubes that were left by the light cycle. "Does everything on the Grid do that?"

Natasha suddenly remembered the pile of pixels that were left behind by the program Beck tried defending in the games. She folded her arms this time and watched as Tron let out a sigh of frustration.

"I forgot how curious Users are," he muttered under his breath. "Yes, anything that is derezzed will turn into pixels," he explained.

"Makes sense," Clint said with a shrug. He looked like he was about to ask something else when the wall of a light cycle appeared in the distance.

Instinct kicked in a heartbeat as Natasha reached for her disk. Tron simply stood up and turned his light cycle back into a baton. The rest of the team was just as edgy until they recognized the driver. Beck's spiky hair kind of made it obvious as to who he was without a helmet. But the white suit made him look taller, and maybe even a bit handsome.

_Wonder if he's got any girlfriends_, Natasha wondered as she felt heat rush to her cheeks.

It wasn't any of her business to know what relationships programs were in. Or if they were even capable of loving one another. From what she had seen of Tron it didn't seem possible. But than Beck had been distraught when his friend from the games was killed.

"What did you find?" Tron asked as he led the way back to the safehouse.

"You were right about him being on the ship," Beck explained as he reached for his disk. "I managed to find a room full of unfinished weapons. And one of them was a large suit that was gold and red."

"That's Tony's Iron Man suit," Steve told him. Beck gave him an odd look before pulling up holographic images on his disk.

Natasha was amazed that programs could do something like this just from one little disk. It was like a giant flash drive that could be used as a weapon.

"Anyways, the place is heavily guarded at the moment, but I did manage to find the room he's being kept in." Beck swiped at the images until an image of Tony appeared on the screen.

Natasha's eyes widened in horror when she saw the he was strapped to a table. Four programs were standing around the room, whispering to one another in urgent voices. She could see that he was struggling to free himself, but the straps held him down firmly.

"Great, how are we supposed to get him out of that?" Clint groaned.

By now they were inside the safehouse. Natasha stood nearby while Steve and Clint began arguing. Tron was still speaking quietly to Beck, who seemed more than unhappy with whatever Tron was telling him.

"Look, even if it means risking our lives, Tony is not only a friend, but part of the team," Natasha announced.

"Not to mention Pepper would kill us if we ever get out of here," Steve muttered under his breath.

A smirk formed as Natasha thought of what Pepper would do to them. Pepper may not have looked it but she had a fiery temper about her. Natasha knew better than to make her angry.

"So what do you propose we do?" Clint demanded. "It's not like we have our weapons to make ourselves useful."

"We have our skills, and wit," Natasha snapped. "If we work together we can save him, and get back our weapons. We are after all the Avengers."

Steve nodded in agreement while Clint simply sighed in frustration. Natasha glanced at him hopefully, willing Clint to join them on this mission. Eventually he nodded in agreement as well before leaning against the wall.

"And you have Beck," Tron added. Beck turned as soon as Tron did, and Natasha was surprised at how alike they were. At least Beck had a sense of humor unlike his mentor. She hoped that didn't rub off on Beck. "You can do it, as long as you rely on one another."

"Sounds like fun," Beck muttered with a roll of his eyes.

Natasha simply smirked once more as she realized that this was going to be their mission. Finally, something they could actually do without failing. And for once it was something she actually looked forward to.


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I've been busy working on my other FF ^^" But it's finally posted, so enjoy!**

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Chapter 12

It didn't take Tony as long to wake up as it had before. He was tossed into what he guessed was a prison cell after struggling to free himself. A few of the guards patrolling the hall watched him warily as they passed by.

Tony sighed in frustration as he leaned against the wall. He'd been stuck here for what felt like days, and he felt weaker than before. These programs weren't giving him any accommodations, and he didn't expect them to. After the way they had him strapped to that table? He doubted they were friendly even to their comrades.

"Sir." One of the guards had stopped pacing, and Tony leaned forward to see that the female program he had seen earlier was talking.

"How's he doing?" she asked after regarding the guard with a simple nod.

"The User is awake now," the guard replied.

"Good, now get moving soldier," the female snapped.

The guard looked surprised before shrugging her bad-tempered attitude off. Tony sighed in frustration once again and leaned back against the wall. He was bored as hell while waiting for something to do. Just when he thought he couldn't take it any longer the female program had approached the cell.

"You're pretty cute." Tony struggled to make his voice sound weaker than before. Maybe the program would take pity on him like she had earlier.

"Say that again User and I'll have you derezzed on the spot," the program snapped.

"I'm hungry, is there anything to eat around here?" Tony looked around as he felt the same exhaustion he had felt before.

"Programs don't... do what you just said," the program muttered. "We drink energy."

"That sounds a bit odd, but I'll buy it." Tony smirked when the program rolled her eyes in annoyance. "What's your name by the way?" he asked when she handed him a glass of bluish water. He eyed the bottle warily before taking a sip, and was surprised to find that it tasted sweet. The program seemed reluctant to answer, and Tony placed the drink down gently when he noticed how worried she looked. "Don't worry, I won't tell the boss we talked."

"It's not that," she sighed. "Programs are capable of accessing our memories," she explained when he raised an eyebrow. "I shouldn't be speaking with you to begin with; I'm already in enough trouble."

"Come on, try me," Tony insisted.

The program let out another sigh of frustration before she looked down at the floor. "My name is Paige," she explained. "I used to be a medic before I started working for General Tesler."

"A medic... interesting past." Tony grinned when he realized that Paige was less tense than before.

"I have to go," Paige suddenly said. "I... hope you survive."

Tony raised an eyebrow once more as she turned to leave. Paige was nothing like the other soldiers. Maybe there was more to her past than he realized. Maybe she would help him escape from this hell hole.

. . .

This was it. All or nothing.

Natasha looked at the large, impressive looking ship without flinching. The orange lights were intimidating, but she wasn't want to back down from a challenge. And this was going to challenge everything she had learned so far.

Beck was in his 'Tron' suit as he watched the soldiers returning or leaving for patrols. According to Tron, Tesler's base was heavily guarded. Entering the ship would mean certain death. If you weren't trained to fight.

"So how exactly do we get past those guards?" Clint asked when they regrouped.

"Using stealth," Beck explained. He gave the ominous looking ship a wary look before glancing back at the team. "I'll sneak in and cause a distraction while you three go and find your friend. He's being held in one of the prison cells."

_Why do I have a feeling this is a bad idea_? Natasha wondered as Beck rezzed his light cycle. She almost wished she had Spiderman's Spider Sense. Something like that would have come in handy at a time like this.

Minutes seemed to pass before an alarm went off. At once the soldiers pacing around the entrance stopped and stared. Shouts sounded from inside the ship, and Natasha took the cue to make a run for it.

The team managed to dodge several soldiers while making their way to the prison cells. Natasha held a map that Beck managed to snatch during his earlier mission. Fortunately it wasn't easy to miss Tony's location as a small white dot blinked on and off when she pulled it out.

"That way." She found the hall where the prisons were located. Beck had most of the guards distracted, and Steve ran forward to help when he was knocked over by one of the soldiers.

Natasha and Clint made their way down the hall, and that feeling of unease returned.

"We're not alone," Clint suddenly muttered. His voice was filled with annoyance, and Natasha whirled around to see why.

"We had a feeling you would pay us a visit," the program sneered. "I'm going to enjoy this fight."

He reached for his disk, and the smirk never left as he threw it towards them. Clint managed to knock the disk aside with his own while Natasha kicked him in the chest. The program staggered back in surprise before glaring at them.

"Who are you?" Clint demanded when he grabbed the program by the chest.

_Obviously he's not much of a fighter_, Natasha thought with a chagrin. Heck, the soldiers had put up a better fight than he did.

"That is something you will never know!" the program shouted. He caught his disk as it flew back and managed to slice it across Clint's arm.

The glare Clint gave him was priceless. And the look the program gave Clint was just as good. But Natasha noticed the stream of blood pooling onto the floor below. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits when she managed to swipe her legs under the program's feet, knocking him to the floor on his back.

"Are you alright?" Natasha looked at the arm warily and saw a wide cut had opened up. Clint was holding his arm as he ground his teeth together.

"I'll be fine," he snapped.

That was an understatement. Natasha knew they had to act quickly before the wound got infected. She let out a sigh of frustration before leading him towards the prison cells. Steve and Beck were close behind after they managed to knock out the soldiers.

"I'm not letting you get any closer to these cells." Natasha stiffened when a masked program jumped in front of them. To her surprise the mask had wings on either side of it, similar to Steve's mask. And the program sounded like a female.

"I'll handle this," Beck said after pushing his way past Clint and Steve. The program eyed Beck warily before throwing in a punch or two. Beck managed to dodge each punch, but not before receiving a kick as he tried to block her. "Go, now!" His words were cut short by the program as she managed to pin him down.

"You two go, I'll stay with him," Steve said after cringing when the program only just missed cutting Beck's arm off.

Natasha gave him a nod before following Clint towards the cells. The eerie orange glow seemed to increase the unease that was building up. Natasha didn't miss the other programs that were being held captive. The lights on their circuits were faded, and a few of them looked like they were slowly derezzing.

It was difficult not to ignore them when Natasha finally reached the cell where Tony was being held. He was leaning against the wall, looking more bored than tortured. Natasha rolled her eyes and thought it was just like Tony to look bored in a place like this.

"It's about time you two got here!" Natasha was surprised at how scratchy his voice sounded. It sounded like he hadn't spoken for days.

"We're sorry it took so long." There was amusement in Clint's voice as he punched the code that kept Tony's cell door locked. "You look like you've seen better days," he added when Tony staggered towards them.

"You too." Tony noticed the gash on Clint's arm. "Where's Steve?"

"He's with a friend of ours," Natasha explained. Now wasn't the time to tell him about Tron or how Beck had become the Renegade. That could wait until they were safe. "Can you walk?" she asked when Tony stumbled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm just a little groggy after sleeping for so long," he replied.

Thankfully Beck and Steve managed to overwhelm the female program after they returned. Natasha blinked in surprise when she saw that the program's mask had been removed. The program was young, probably around Beck's age. But what really caught Natasha off guard was how much the program reminded her of herself.

"We need to go before Tesler shows up." Beck sounded exhausted by the time they reached the ship's entrance.

Natasha nodded in agreement as they rezzed their light cycles. Even though she had never seen General Tesler, she had a feeling he was a dangerous program to mess with. And she had a feeling he wasn't going to be too pleased when he found out what had happened.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: It's been a month already since my last update? Man am I sorry... I kind of got caught up with other stuff. Thanks everyone for your reviews, they're always appreciated! And please let me know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews make me update faster ;)**

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Chapter 13

"You've got this whole place rigged up?" Tony sounded impressed when they reached Tron's hideout.

Natasha rolled her eyes when he stared at the screen Tron had pulled up. He looked modest as he folded his arms and watched as Tony stared at the screen in awe. She had to admit that the place was impressive, but it also made her feel claustrophobic.

_I'm glad we have dorms back at the garage_, she thought after imaging what it would be like for all four of them to be stuck here. Tron would likely go nuts with the arguments Tony and Clint often had.

"So what now?" Steve asked after shaking his head.

"We go back to the garage," Beck replied. "I don't live here... thankfully." He added the last part in a whisper.

Clint smirked before grabbing his arm once again. The wound had stopped bleeding thankfully, but Natasha knew that the sooner it was looked at the better.

"You're injured," Tron said in an accusing tone. He'd noticed the wound long before Tony started gawking at the screen.

"I'll be fine." Natasha rolled her eyes when Clint glared at Tron stubbornly.

"You just keep saying that," Tony grumbled when he joined them. "Is there anything you have that can heal a wound like that?" He looked back at Tron, who only shrugged in response.

"A medic might be able to help, but that's about all we've got," he replied.

"At least you have doctors here," Natasha muttered. "We really do need to get back to the garage though." She glanced back at Beck and noticed that he was pacing around.

_Doesn't he ever get tired_? she wondered. She simply shook her head as Tony looked at everyone in confusion. Than she remembered that he wasn't filled in on what they had done while he was captured.

"We all got jobs at Able's garage in the city," Steve explained when Tony stared at them.

"Jobs? Never thought I'd see you two working." Tony laughed when Natasha glared at him. "So where does that leave me? Not like I have a place to crash or anything."

"You can stay here," Tron told him. "There's a spare room upstairs you can stay in."

"Man, you really do have the place rigged." Tony grinned like an idiot while Natasha pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration.

She knew that Tony would act like a child in a place like this. But seeing him now made her wish she had brought a camera. Pepper would have a field day if she saw him now. And Director Fury... she could only imagine what he would say.

"Being a security program does have it's advantages," Tron explained.

"Hey, you're actually smiling!" Beck stared at Tron in disbelief when he noticed the faintest smile.

"Don't get used to it."

Beck rolled his eyes when Tron folded his arms once more.

"So... we'll see you next cycle?" Beck hesitated in asking the question.

"For more training of course," Tron replied.

"I'll see if there's a way to get out of this place," Tony announced after clasping his hands together. "And get back our weapons."

Natasha followed the others as Beck led the way out. Leaving the Grid wasn't an option while Clu was ruling the place. As far as Natasha was concerned he needed to be stopped. Besides, if they just upped and left the Grid everyone would think that they were a bunch of cowards.

They wasted no time in returning to the city. By now Natasha was fighting exhaustion as she followed the others towards the garage. But her thoughts were churning with anxiety as she wondered what would happen next.

Almost at once Beck was stopped by his friends at the garage. Mara and Zed were sitting in the waiting room when Beck approached them.

"Beck, where have you been?" Mara demanded when she stood up.

"We've been busy," Natasha explained before Beck could answer. He was about to say something in response when Zed joined them.

"You look like you've been through a lot," he said in a nervous tone.

"It's been a long... cycle." Steve managed to get the term right on his first try. Natasha raised an eyebrow when Mara folded her arms.

"Well than we should all get some rest. Zed took over your shift for you," she added to Beck.

"Thanks Zed, I owe you one," Beck sighed after ruffling the back of his hair.

Zed smirked in response before following Mara back to the dorms. The others followed them quickly, and Natasha was thankful to get away from it all.

After everything that had happened today, she wasn't sure whether or not she would sleep. Relaxing was her second best option for now.

When she reached her room she fell right onto her bed, uncomfortable as it was. But as soon as she fell onto the bed she started thinking of everything that had happened. She let out a sigh of frustration as she turned once more.

This whole going to sleep thing would be easier if she could clear her mind. But the more she thought of what was happening on the Grid, the more anxious she got.

As if her thoughts had summoned them, she heard a soft knocking on her door. Instinct quickly kicked in and she tossed a pillow at the door, not sure why she even bothered. Fighting back another sigh of frustration, Natasha stood up and opened the door to see Clint standing in front of her.

"Couldn't sleep either?" she asked warily.

"Lucky guess," Clint muttered after she followed him into the hallway. Thankfully no one was awake at the time. Natasha had a feeling it would look suspicious if they were seen together while the others were fast asleep.

"I've been thinking of what's happened," Natasha explained as she leaned against the wall.

"And?" Clint raised an eyebrow.

"Look, even if we do find a way out of the Grid, and that's a big _if_, we can't just leave everyone behind." Her words came out in a rush. Clint looked at her calmly as she took another deep breath. "These programs are obviously suffering from Clu's rule... and it's our job as the Avengers to help them, even if they aren't human."

"Nat, for once I agree." Clint added the last part with a smirk when Natasha glared at him. "And if we do manage to find a way out and defeat Clu, how are we going to tell Director Fury?"

"I didn't think about that." Natasha bit the bottom of her lip as she thought of how they would tell Director Fury. He would find out sooner or later that the Grid was real. "We'll think of something after we get some rest," she added after straightening up.

"Yeah, sleep sounds like a good idea at the moment," Clint murmured. "Sleep well."

Natasha simply nodded in response before returning to her room. By the time she reached her bed she was finally tired enough to fall asleep.


End file.
